tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154614032020-05-28T05:00:58.751-04:00Brian G. Hedges Brian G. Hedges |
Pastor &amp; AuthorBrian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.comBlogger829125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-55295059837321255702020-04-19T14:13:00.000-04:002020-04-19T14:13:07.202-04:00Seven Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health (Psalm 63) Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-520874092076848532020-02-02T16:31:00.005-05:002020-03-01T21:58:13.264-05:00News Worth Sharing I once worked in a stockroom with an atheist named Bubba. That wasn’t his real name, but the nickname he went by. I frequently shared my faith with coworkers, and the management had already warned Bubba that I might raise the subject with him. “They told me about you,” Bubba informed me shortly into our first shift together. He promptly declared his atheism, maybe trying to head off my Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-19265137787577528552020-01-01T20:58:00.001-05:002020-01-01T21:15:56.884-05:0015 of My Favorite Books from 2019
I love to read people’s best books reading lists at the end of each year and often choose several books for my reading pile based on these lists. Perhaps my list will be helpful for your pile.
Here are fifteen of my favorite books from 2019.
Note: these aren’t necessarily books published in 2019, just books that I read (or at least read portions of) last year. They are in no particular Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-68874337832722862282018-03-08T15:06:00.000-05:002020-03-01T21:58:59.513-05:00Watchfulness Requires Wakefulness
When I was eighteen, I fell asleep at the wheel. My dad was preaching at a church two hundred miles from the farm where we lived in Tokio, Texas. We left early enough that morning to make the three-hour drive and arrive before the hymns began. I was driving while Dad went over notes for his sermon, prayed, and took a brief nap.
We both woke up at the same time, as the minivan careened right, Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-9307159993584416252018-03-01T22:32:00.000-05:002018-03-08T14:55:51.027-05:00Watchfulness: Recovering a Lost Spiritual Discipline
My new book, Watchfulness: Recovering a Lost Spiritual Discipline is now shipping from Reformation Heritage Books.
Here is a brief excerpt from the book, followed by endorsements from Don Whitney, Derek Thomas, Steve Lawson, and others.
The Value of the Heart
Watchfulness is needful because the heart is valuable. According to A. W. Pink, keeping the heart is “the great task which Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-16620375074491288252018-01-01T15:34:00.004-05:002018-01-05T00:12:40.669-05:00The Best Books I Read in 2017
Flickr/nymo59
The first Evangelical Protestant to catalog a list of what we now call spiritual disciplines was Richard Rogers. This list was found in book three of Rogers’ Seven Treatises — and this third book is soon to be republished by Reformation Heritage Books as Holy Helps for a Godly Life. Rogers divided these “helps” into public and private helps for godliness, and among the Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-33147344325569205212017-11-22T14:11:00.004-05:002017-11-22T14:11:59.767-05:00The Spoils of War
“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.” (Luke 4:1)
The good news in the story of Jesus’ temptation is that Jesus obeyed God and defeated temptation at every point where Israel, and Adam, and you and I have failed! Jesus was tempted as our brother, captain, and king. Adam, our first Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-75229830477844765802017-10-20T09:53:00.002-04:002017-10-20T09:53:17.129-04:00Married to Christ
"The third incomparable benefit of faith is that it unites the soul with Christ as a bride is united with her bridegroom. By this mystery, as the Apostle teaches, Christ and the soul become one flesh (Eph. 5:31–32). And if they are one flesh and there is between them a true marriage— indeed the most perfect of all marriages, since human marriages are but poor examples of this one true marriage—Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-71159449206059588272017-07-11T10:41:00.000-04:002017-07-11T10:41:03.816-04:00Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture by David Murray (Book Review)
Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture by David Murray is an excellent treatment of the problems men (especially pastors) face in midlife and the need for intentional rest, renewal, and restoration.
Murray relates how his own experience of burnout and resulting health problems in his forties led to serious changes in his lifestyle.
This book is, in many ways, like Wayne Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-41012603897630363512017-06-19T19:09:00.000-04:002017-06-19T15:39:09.764-04:00The Christ-Centeredness of C. H. Spurgeon
One of my heroes is Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the famous Baptist pastor of nineteenth century London. In reading Spurgeon, I am convinced that one of the secrets behind the extraordinary fruitfulness of his ministry and the enduring legacy of his sermons was his relentless focus on the person and work of Christ.
Spurgeon’s Christ-centered focus is evident in the first words he spoke in the Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-65759581766577717642017-02-24T21:17:00.003-05:002017-06-16T15:04:04.299-04:00Christ All Sufficient
What does it mean to say that Christ is sufficient, and
why does it matter? It means that Christ in all of his fullness really is everything
we need. And it matters because without him we can do nothing.
To say that Christ is sufficient is to say that there is
nothing else in addition to Jesus that we need for salvation, life,
satisfaction, or fullness. There are no bonuses or extras. Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-56694070619123221212017-01-01T00:11:00.002-05:002017-06-16T15:04:43.508-04:00Top Ten Books of 2016
Ever since reading Louis L'Amour's Education of a Wandering Man when I was fifteen or sixteen years old, I've been keeping lists of the books I've read each year. For the past several years, I've also been writing some version of a Top 10 or Best of list. I enjoy reading such lists from other friends and usually discover new titles to read and explore.
These are not necessarily books thatBrian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-66983862475193773142016-06-17T10:44:00.001-04:002017-06-16T15:04:34.265-04:00Infinite Grace to Pardon Immeasurable Sin
See the consequences of that sin on all sides, the world is full of them.
Yet, saith Paul, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound,” and he gives us this as a proof of it: “And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification” (Rom. 5:16).
The Lord Jesus came into the world, not Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-89940596456481634512016-06-15T00:35:00.000-04:002016-06-17T10:45:50.957-04:00Equip Yourself Against Accusation with the Gospel
The genius of Christianity takes the words of Paul
"who gave himself for our sins"
as true and efficacious.
We are not to look upon our sins as insignificant trifles.
On the other hand, we are not to regard them as so terrible
that we must despair.
Learn to believe that Christ was given,
not for picayune and imaginary transgressions,
but for mountainous sins;
not for Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-80590963421294029672016-06-07T13:13:00.003-04:002016-06-07T13:13:50.836-04:00A Firm Foundation in the Weakness of Christ The Son of God, then, who is Jesus Christ, holds out himself as the object to which our faith ought to be directed, and by means of which it will easily find that on which it can rest; for he is the true Immanuel, who answers us within, as soon as we seek him by faith. It is one of the leading articles of our faith, that our faith ought to be directed to Christ alone, that it may not wander Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-23709917864259743602016-06-03T23:13:00.003-04:002016-06-04T00:31:19.353-04:00Does God Ordain Suffering or Oppose It?
A recent episode of The Gospel Coalition's
podcast featured a discussion between John Piper, Matt Chandler, and David
Platt about God's goodness in suffering. A tweet from TGC provoked some negative reactions from several
high-profile Christian thinkers, including Jefferson Bethke, Brian Zahnd, and Jonathan Merritt. The main perspectives expressed in this debate seem pretty
polarized at first Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-43106488763498784232016-05-26T16:55:00.002-04:002016-05-26T16:55:41.870-04:00Christ Defeated the Monsters (A Meditation from Luther)
The Temptation of Christ on the Mountain (Duccio di Buoninsegna ca. 1308-1311,tempera on poplar panel)
Let us see how Christ was able to gain the victory over our enemies.
The sins of the whole world,
past,
present,
and future,
fastened
themselves upon Christ
and
condemned Him.
But because Christ is God
He had an
Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-85084848946337873792016-05-13T01:06:00.000-04:002016-05-13T01:06:50.250-04:00Walking in the Way of Jesus <!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-38902054281723940882016-04-30T12:41:00.000-04:002016-04-30T12:48:12.701-04:00Grace Restores Nature in the Theology of Herman Bavinck
Herman Bavinck towers head and shoulders above most
theologians, though he is only beginning to be more widely read in English. His
chief accomplishment was the four-volume masterpiece, Gereformeerde Dogmatiek, originally published in Dutch from 1895 to
1899. The English translation, Reformed
Dogmatics, was completed in 2008 and is a treasure-trove of theological
reflection.
The melody Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-69018789452201157382016-04-21T17:28:00.003-04:002016-04-21T17:28:58.858-04:00Why Read the Puritans?
The Puritans were the 16th century English Protestants and their successors in 16th-17th century New England, whose concern for church reform and spiritual renewal earned them the originally derogatory epithet, “puritan.” Unfortunately, when most people hear the word “puritan” they remember Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and associate the term with legalism, self-righteousness, Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-77889959659861721232016-01-21T15:17:00.003-05:002016-01-21T15:20:55.480-05:00The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson (Book Review)
What does a Scottish theological controversy from three hundred years ago have to teach believers today? A lot. And Sinclair Ferguson (perhaps my favorite living theologian) shows its relevance to the church today in his new book, The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, & Gospel Assurance - Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters.
I am torn between giving this book three or four stars. Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-19832688885019573192016-01-06T12:26:00.000-05:002016-01-06T14:33:28.003-05:00Best of 2015: Books
Lists are a staple in the diet of any blogger. Lists of books, albums, and films make regular appearances, especially around New Years. I'm late to the game this year, with most people's lists already read and probably forgotten.
And, honestly, I had to pause, after reading Mark Jones' challenge regarding the motivation and value in writing such lists for others to see. He heads his post Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-3779097727082632962015-12-30T20:28:00.004-05:002015-12-30T20:29:12.291-05:0015 Ways to Feed on the Word in the New Year
Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4), and
the prophet Jeremiah wrote,
“Your words were found, and I ate
them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
O LORD, God of hosts.” (Jer. 15:16)
And yet, believers often struggle to regularly and
Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-71256273659733656122015-11-28T11:41:00.000-05:002015-11-29T00:31:12.123-05:00How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds
How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.
It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
'Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary, rest.
Dear Name, the Rock on which I build,
My Shield and Hiding Place,
My never failing treasury, filled
With boundless stores of grace!
By Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15461403.post-33897948076194596282015-11-05T01:56:00.001-05:002015-11-28T11:41:41.629-05:00Four Books I'd Like to Write
Today I'm going to try a little experiment.
This post is about books I'd like to write. As someone who has been teaching and preaching for over twenty years, I've accumulated thousands of pages of content and lots of ideas for books. I always have a list of books I'd like to write, along with raw material filling up Word docs and Evernote. Some of these books will eventually be written, Brian G. Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07484347615800136537noreply@blogger.com2